NETHER PROVIDENCE -- It's been four games and almost three weeks since Kristen Miller last found the back of the net.

After another frustrating first half Saturday in which touches were few and far between, the Strath Haven striker was trying not to let thoughts of a drought creep into her mind.

"A little bit, but I try not to let it," said the junior striker, who had 16 goals to her name in the regular season. "It's more about helping my team in any way I can, whether that's winning 50-50 balls or scoring."

When the chance came for goal No. 17, though, she made no mistake.

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A cross into the box pinballed off a couple of players before falling to Miller, who buried a shot into the corner in the 70th minute to seal the Panthers' 1-0 win over C.B. East in the District One Class AAA quarterfinals.

The victory for the No. 1 seeded Panthers (19-0) books them a return to trip to the PIAA Tournament.

For much of the stretch prior to Miller's opener, though, the Panthers didn't look like the squad more likely to break the deadlock. The Patriots managed to hem most of the play into the Panthers end, and while it didn't translate into many shots, the pressure was constant. Perhaps their best chance came in the 61st minute with a Holly Moyer spinner in front of goal that Haven goalkeeper Krissy Welsh bobbled but eventually secured.

It was Miller's partner in crime, Morgan Glassford, who finally tilted the scales back in Haven's favor.

Isolated up top for most of the night, Glassford finally got the ball in space about three minutes prior to Miller's tally. Though Glassford scuffed the shot, making an easy save for Central Bucks keeper Paige Marcinkowski, it seemed to spark the Panthers.

"In the beginning there, we kind of came out flat in the second half a little bit," Strath Haven coach Gino Miraglia said. "We kind of abandoned our style of play. We got a little lost, and a little bit into panic mode. We went to kick-and-run, and obviously it didn't work. Finally, halfway through that second half, we started to settle down."

Seconds later, Glassford was at it again, bombing down the left flank. She stung the hands of Marcinkoski with a low drive, which the Central Bucks keeper did well to react to and flex out of bounds for a corner. Miller sprung to life on the corner, the Panthers playing it short for her to curl just over the crossbar.

"Once we get momentum, we're going to keep getting shots," Miller said. "Off of one shot, we just get more confidence."

"It gave us a lot of confidence," Miraglia said of Glassford's wake-up call. "The keeper made a nice save on that breakaway that Morgan had. They were almost double-teaming her the entire game, and that breakaway that she had gave them some hope and confidence."

Less than two minutes later, the ball was in the back of the net.

Sophie Murphy tried to thread a pass into the box, and after it bounced around a bit, it fell to Miller. She made no mistake, firing a laser into the far corner past an outstretched Marcinkoswki.

"When I was playing right forward, I was screaming my head off the entire time but we couldn't get anything over the top," Miller said. "I think once we finally realized that we could get that switch through the middle by keeping it on the ground, it was there."

The rest was taken care of a backline anchored by Jenny Carey, Allie Wilson, Katherine Burk and Bri Irons and supported by Murphy and Kirsten Wilhelmsen in the midfield that played bend-but-don't-break defense. Carey and Wilson interchanged beautifully in the center, with Wilson often providing the key intervention to boot the ball to safety.

"We knew going into it that they were very good with the long balls and putting balls through," Carey said. "So our job was to make sure we always had someone on the target person so that she didn't have any time. We knew to not give up any throw-ins toward our end and no corner kicks, so I think we did our best to make sure that didn't happen."

Welsh was troubled four times -- the most saves she's had to make in a game since the second match of the season -- but the only shot after Miller's goal was a weak dribbler from Abby Emmert that she easily collected.

The win sends the Panthers back to states, but they've got a few things to attend to first.

"I'm so excited," Carey said. "Obviously making states is what every senior wants to do before she goes. But what Coach Miraglia has been saying is taking it one game at a time. We're not focused on states yet; we're focused on winning districts."